Appleseed Sequels, Series Germinate

As the critically acclaimed new anime feature, Appleseed, gets set to make its U.S theatrical debut on Jan. 14, Daily Variety reports that the property is set to become a trilogy. The film’s Japanese creator, Micott & Basara, has reportedly teamed with Los Angeles-based Axis Ent. to co-produce a pair of sequels and a television series. A live-action feature film may also emerge from the partnership.

Set in the year 2131, after most of the world has been devastated by war, Appleseed chronicles the battle between mankind and bioroids, a race of cybernetic pseudo-clones designed to aid humans in domestic capacities. The film was adapted from a popular manga series.

The pic combines 2D character animation and toon-shaded 3D motion-capture technology. Its unique look was dictated by director Shinji Aramaki and producer Fumihiko Sori, whose credits include CG animation work on the Hollywood blockbuster, Titanic.

Released in Japan by Toho earlier this year, Appleseed is the first film to fall under the new Geneon Films umbrella, a division dedicated to marketing and distributing live-action and animated feature films from Asia. Geneon Ent. also acquired North American and European distribution rights for the film Tetsujin 28th, and previously released the anime masterpiece Akira, as well as the hits Patlabor WXIII and Onmyoji.